The URC is the result of a union between the Presbyterian Church of England and the Congregational Church in England and Wales in 1972 and subsequent unions with the Re-formed Association of Churches of Christ in 1981 and the Congregational Union of Scotland in 2000.

The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 56,000 members in 1,400 congregations with 608 active ministers, including 13 church related community workers.[1]

According to its own records, the United Reformed Church has approximately 56,000 members in 1,400 congregations with 608 active ministers, including 13 church related community workers.[1] From 2005 to 2010, 90 congregations closed, the fourth highest number of closures for a British denomination over the period.[12]

Each congregation (local church) within the URC is governed by a Church Meeting consisting of all its members, which is the ultimate decision-making body in the local church. There is also an elders' meeting (similar to the presbyterian Kirk Session in the Church of Scotland) which advises the Church Meeting and shares with the minister the spiritual and pastoral oversight of the church. Elders are normally elected to serve for a specific period of time.

Within the present structures, congregations are able to manage themselves and arrange their services as they choose, reflecting their circumstances and preferences. As a result, congregations, even neighbouring ones, may have quite different characters, types of service and eligibility for communion.

Congregations, through the Church Meeting, are responsible for the selection (issue of a 'call') of ministers to fill vacancies. They also select elders from within the membership and accept new members.

At a regional level, representatives of the congregations assemble in a synod. There are 11 English synods, roughly corresponding to each region of England, one in Scotland and one in Wales; each is served by a synod moderator. The synod and its committees provide oversight within the framework of presbyterian polity, giving pastoral care and making important decisions about where ministers serve and how churches share ministry. Through the synods, the URC relates to other Christian denominations at a regional level such as Anglican dioceses. Synods make many key decisions about finance, and about church property, which is usually held in trust by a synod trust company. Synods have committees and employ staff to encourage and serve local churches.

The URC has a General Assembly (chaired by two Moderators, one elder, one ordained a Minister of Word and Sacrament or a church related community worker) which gathers representatives of the whole of the URC to meet biennially. Advised by the Mission Council, the General Assembly plans the activity of the URC across Great Britain and makes key policy decisions about the direction of the life of the denomination. It also appoints central staff (i.e. those responsible Britain-wide), receives reports from committees, and deals with substantial reports and initiatives such as Vision4Life.[14] The synods are represented along with the convenors of the Assembly's standing committees.

There are 11 standing committees appointed by General Assembly to carry out its policy and to advise the Assembly. Each committee relates to a different area of church life, including mission, ministries and education and learning.

Mission Council, the executive body of the General Assembly, meets twice a year.

Church related community work (CRCW) is a distinctive ministry within the URC. CRCW ministers use the principles of community development to respond to issues facing their neighbourhoods, working alongside local individuals and organisations, developing initiatives to transform communities.

URC Youth is for young people aged 11–25. Formed in 1974, with the name the Fellowship of United Reformed Youth (FURY), it is led by URC Youth Executive who plan the annual Youth Assembly. The Youth Executive comprises a representative from each Synod, and several other members such as the Moderator and Moderator Elect. The current Moderator is Hannah Jones.

The United Reformed Church has published Reform magazine since 1972, as a forum for "News, comment, inspiration debate". A digital edition of the magazine, accessed through an app or online, was launched in April 2015. Reform was called "a prophetic voice" by the theologian Robert Beckford in 2013.[citation needed]

^The United Reformed Church Act 1972 (a private bill) at section 2 provides that 'United Reformed Church means the church or denomination which on its formation is to be described and known as the United Reformed Church (Congregational-Presbyterian) in England and Wales, or as the United Reformed Church (Congregational-Presbyterian) or as the United Reformed Church'.

^Section 2 of the United Reformed Church Act 1981 mentions 'the church thenceforth to be known as the United Reformed Church in the United Kingdom'.

^The 2008 Year Book published by the URC explains that, after the 2000 union, it is now known simply as the United Reformed Church, as defined in the United Reformed Church Act 2000. In any case, the URC no longer has any congregations in Northern Ireland, a fact acknowledged in URC (2004) A Gift Box (ISBN0-85346-222-4); but it does have congregations in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, both outside the United Kingdom.